About a week ago I was complaining about how there is no fun sets to collect. Well it’s open mouth insert foot time. A few days after I wrote that post I picked up my first pack of 2009 O Pee Chee baseball cards. I hadn’t bought them up to that point because they had mostly been put down by the blog community as a whole. Most were disappointed about the lack of the 1971 insert cards. What I failed to see through the scans, is a real throwback set. At $1.59 a pack retail, and about $44 on eBay for a hobby box, it’s quite affordable even to the younger demographics.
The set itself, is really a nice simple designed front and a throwback designed back. I especially like the black border cards with the yellow tinted back. This may be the first desirable set to collect this year in my opinion. Here is my laundry list of reasons why:
- It’s not locked into a design, like Goudey and A&G. The folks at Upper Deck can get creative with the design team year after year.
- It’s a full card set, 600 cards, which means even players that would normally not be in sets. It’s refreshing to see some of the younger players in the set.
- A wide variety of insert sets, which personally I always love.
- SP cards (501-600) which as far as I can tell are not very short printed. I have gotten 2 per pack in some of my packs.
- Price per pack is kid friendly. Price per box is adult friendly.
- Autographs and game used don’t fall one per box (finally, a set that isn’t marketed that way).
Of course there are some problems with the set as well:
- Black border part of set will be very difficult to put together, which stinks because I like that design the best.
- 6 cards per pack seems a bit light to me, with the shear number of cards in the set, I would like to see 10 cards per pack.
- Because of the lawsuit, I don’t see Upper Deck putting this product out again. Which is a shame, because this is the perfect starter set.
- Photos are kind of boring (those that are in front of a backdrop)
Usually I don’t buy blasters or packs, because it’s ALWAYS a losing proposition. Instead I wait for a few months for the demand to die down and buy the set online. However, every once in a while you see a card set done right. I think for the most part, Upper Deck did well with this line. If it will be back next year, I don’t know. I do know one thing though, there is no reason to turn this into a “retro” set. Upper Deck needs something better than their self titled set as an entry set and I think this one fits the bill nicely. Besides this there a more cringe worthy card this year than this one of Prince Fielder:
This is so horrible, but when I see this card, I think to myself, “lil head on a big body. . . ” I mean he looks like one of those cutouts you see at the boardwalk, where you put your head through the hole. I challenge you to find a more cringe worthy card in the set.
“You down with O-Pee-Chee, ya you know me”